friends

We are sponges soaking up everything we experience. Our ears perk up and our eyes widen to capture the essence of the moment. Then, we expel it to those around us like emotional vomit. Like it or not everyone performs this cycle. So, let’s look at two types of sponges, clean and dirt.

A clean sponge is just that. It has no filth, grime, or moldy mildew. If said sponge soaks up clean water, it will expel clean water. If that same sponge soaks up dirty water it will expel dirty water.

You at this point:What a scientific break through!

Me: I know, right?

You: Let me sum up my research thesis in one word. Duh!

Bare with me because this is where people don’t make the connection.

A dirty sponge expels dirty water. Meaning, it takes time to clean that sponge. The more dirt it soaks up, the longer it will need to be cleaned.

Going back to my first statement, we are sponges. What type of environment are we subjecting ourselves to? Do we watch only family oriented movies? Is our music pure and wholesome? Are the people we surround ourselves with positive?

We cannot help who we are forced to work with. However, we can control our actions. Either they will warm up to us or find someone else to talk to. Like minded people are attracted to each other. Stay positive and positive people will find us. It starts with what we absorb.

We all have the ability to do our best. Our best means that we give 100%. If someone boasts that they gave 110%, know that they have only been giving 90%. Their extra 10% comes from finally stepping up. There are no winners or loosers as long as we try. If our best does not meet quota then we can improve that aspect or we can search for something that we are better at. There is no such thing as the best. Someone will always be better. Accept that fact and move on. There are too many demands for one person to be the best at all of them. We should humble ourselves but never sell ourselves short. We have the power within to make a difference. The mere fact that we woke up has given us a chance to make a difference. Sometimes we get knocked down, but we stand up. Why do bad things happen to good people? Because we are all watching to see how they stand up. People watch us to see how we stand up. We are the mentors of our peers. Even time we get knocked down we show others how we will not stay down. They watch and learn from every move we make.

We may not be the best worker, athlete, parent, friend, husband or wife, and that’s alright. We all have short-comings. But we are here making a difference everyday. We are a source of inspiration to others. People see our imperfections and they watch us stand up. We motivate others to stand with us. This is when we are at our best.

A loss is not always a negative thing. This is especially true when negativity is lost. The inverse could be said about a gain. Whether a situation is good or bad is purely relative to one’s perspective and attitude. Life is not cruel, its reality. Reality is 100% perception. It takes discipline to approach every situation with calmness. Hate, anger, fear, and anxiety are all unnecessary emotions that cause more harm than good. We are human and we are emotional. However, there is a time and place to express those emotions. Always find the gains of every situation. Accept those gains and move on. Do not gloat or have self-pity. Move on. Be humble in every situation. There are lessons to be learnt everyday. Do not be so emotional or arrogant that you miss the lesson. Life could be better, but it could also be worse. Enjoy the moment. You may be the only ray of sunshine someone has. 🙂

Believe in yourself. You are your biggest advocate in this journey of life. When the chips are down and the world stands against you… you still have you. Be proud of who you are. If you cannot be proud of who you are then become that person. You are worth every bit of your time. Never let anyone take that away. Let go of the world but never let go of yourself. Always believe in yourself.

Imagine a room full of five year old children. Which child is in charge? Which child has authority to say who is better than whom? We as adults are very similar to these children. We are all equal. Yet, we place judgment on others everyday. We are quick to point out the faults of others. Why? Are we so insecure that we need to bring down others in order to improve our own self-stature? We constantly compare the success of others to the failure of our own. We create the illusion of inequality that constitutes our discontent. Our perception is askew due to our fear that we are being left out. This indeed is the action of a five year old.

Simply put, I have no right to judge you. There is no rebuttal to this statement. We are all on the same rock floating through space. Our time on this rock is limited. I can find plenty of constructive things to do with my time. Judging is not one of them. 🙂

We all have standards we live up to. These are the guidelines for meeting our own self-expectations. For most of us the foundation of these standards were instilled in us from our parents.

The problem with these expectations is that they are often imposed onto others. Self-expectation should remain as such. I have no right to impose my standards of living onto you. We have the freedom how to live each day. Parenting is the only exception to this. But, we are not talking about parenting.

Always take the time to improve yourself. Do not force improvement onto others. We all have our own path to take. Dictating to others how to live forces them to walk your path. Only one person should walk your path. Does this mean we should be alone? Not at all. Everyone does not take the same steps when moving about a house. The paths from room to room may be similar, however, the placement of their feet may be quite different.

Just because I feel a certain way about a person does not mean they will feel that way towards me. The word relationship comes from the base word relate. Two people must be able to relate to each other, in a possitive manner, in order for there to be a constructive relationship. Even then there is no guarantee that love will coexist between the two. We must be willing to admit this fact. Love does not alway work the way that we want it to.

This is why it is said love is unconditional. It is not reciprocated back to us due to our actions. It is given back out of free will. Honestly, I would have it no other way 🙂